Last Friday marked the return of ABC family comedy night, with the season three launch of Last Man Standing featuring guest stars Uncle Si and Cousin Billy Bob (or something) from the biggest TV show on the planet — Duck Dynasty, plus the second season premiere of The Neighbors, debuting in its new Friday time slot.

The Neighbors is actually a funny, endearing little show. I was among those ready to write it off last year, based on its silly premise, but I really came to like it. What I do NOT like, however, is that its survival meant the demise of Reba’s Malibu Country, a show that one could argue wasn’t the best quality program but that was nevertheless finding its footing and coming together by the end of its only season, and is a show that fit in tone and style with lead-in Last Man Standing.

Because I’m not one to miss the opportunity to belabor a point, allow me to point out some early ratings results.
1. The Neighbors, which again inherited Malibu Country’s time slot, opened -14% vs. MC’s season average in the Adults 18-49 demo and -37% vs. MC‘s season average in viewership.
2. Premiere episode to premiere episode, the decrease is far more stark with Neighbors’ premiere episode this season (1.2) down -52% vs. MC’s premiere in the demo (2.3) last year and Neighbors viewership (4.58M) -49% vs. MC‘s premiere viewership (9.14M).
3. MC premiered IN SEASON last November against original competition on the other networks, while last Friday’s ABC comedy premieres were against repeats on the other broadcast nets.
4. The Neighbors premiere episode barely performed better than Malibu Country REPEATS (avg. 4 million viewers and a 0.8 A18-49) last season.
**Full ratings charts below.
5. Throughout its run, MC averaged 87%-90% retention of its LMS lead-in, whereas in its initial outing, Neighbors retained weaker scores of 80% demo and 69% viewership.

Again, I’m a fan of The Neighbors and will continue to DVR it for eventual playback. But learn from your ratings woes, ABC: When you have a gem like Reba in a magical place like Malibu, you don’t opt for aliens in Jersey. #justsayin

Okay, nothing was actually on fire (thank Jesus!), but with my relocation to Knoxville just weeks away, it’s time to shirk some belongings that simply won’t fit my new digs. Check it out below and see what, if anything you’d care to make yours. And, as my ego is fragile, please limit critical comments regarding my furnishings. 🙂